The detective grabbed another towel out of the pile of clothes. He used it to wipe off his face and soak up some of the water in his hair. I did the same with my towel, then opened the back door of the car and slung the towel over the seat. Mud caked my boots an inch thick in places, so I pulled them off and set them on the floorboard, along with my ruined socks. Cold mud squished between my toes, but I’d wipe them off with the towel later. Then I stripped off my fleece jacket and put it on top of my boots. My long-sleeved T-shirt came next. I sighed as I looked at the cotton. I’d bought the pink Tshirt covered with bright green limes when I went to Key West after Fletcher’s funeral. It was one of my favorites. I picked a couple of briars off the bottom of the tail, folded it, and put it on top of my jacket.

I was just about to unhook my bra when I realized the detective was staring at me. Donovan Caine’s eyes burned like liquid gold in his rugged face.

“What—what are you doing?” he asked in a hoarse voice “I thought I’d be nice and not get my wet, muddy shoes and clothes all over your car,” I replied. “Is that a problem?”

Donovan didn’t answer me. He was too busy devouring me with his eyes. The rain ran down my mostly bare chest in cool, glistening drops. I’d only had my shirt off a few seconds, but the moisture had already soaked into my pale pink lace bra. The cold night air had long ago hardened my nipples. But instead of covering myself up, my own eyes traced over Donovan. The detective had removed his suit jacket and starched shirt. All he wore from the waist up was a white, sleeveless undershirt. The rain had made it transparent too, and I could see the ropy muscles of his chest through the thin fabric. Mmm.

Despite the rain flicking against my skin, a low, steady warmth spread through my stomach. This was the closest I’d been to Donovan Caine in two months, and I decided to take advantage of the situation.

“See something you like, detective?” I said in a soft voice. “Because I sure do.”

The detective raised his gaze to my face. Emotions flickered in his golden eyes, like lightning dancing across the sky during a thunderstorm. Guilt. Heat. Desire. But he didn’t move toward me. So I decided to up the stakes, so to speak.